# 3D Customized Silica‐Based AFM Probes Fabricated by Selective Laser Etching

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method to create customizable silica-based AFM probes using selective laser etching, offering faster and simpler fabrication with high design flexibility.

## Contribution

The novel use of selective laser etching to fabricate 3D silica AFM probes with tunable stiffness and tip geometry.

## Key findings

- Glass cantilevers with thicknesses from 1 to 50 µm and spring constants from 0.02 to 80 N m⁻¹ were successfully fabricated.
- The method enables high design flexibility and reproducibility for both sharp and spherical AFM tips.
- The probes show excellent performance in AFM imaging and force spectroscopy.

## Abstract

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilevers are essential components that function both as force sensors and nanoscale interaction tools that play a critical role in AFM capabilities, sensitivity, and precision. Conventional fabrication techniques for probes, that rely on silicon or silicon nitride bulk micro‐machining, generally requires complex fabrication processes associated to low throughput and limited geometric flexibility. Here the development of innovative AFM cantilevers made of silica glass through a novel approach based on selective laser etching is explored, which offers cantilever and tip design flexibility, condense the process into three steps, and reduces the fabrication time and cost while minimizing reliance on complex equipment and clean room facilities. The fabrication and characterization of functional glass cantilevers with thicknesses ranging from 1 to 50 µm and spring constants spanning from 0.02 to 80 N m−1 is demonstrated. The fabricated glass probes show excellent performance in both AFM imaging and force spectroscopy applications. The simple and fast fabrication approach, highlights the potential of selective laser etching to produce innovative versatile silica‐based probes for AFM.

Selective laser etching (SLE) enables the monolithic fabrication of customized, fully 3D silica AFM probes integrating both cantilever and tip with controlled 3D geometries. The process allows the production of either sharp or spherical tips with high design flexibility, reproducibility, and yield. The stiffness can be tuned from 0.02 to 80 N m−1, supporting both material and cellular force mapping applications.